The cool morning air warms up as the sun rises over the adobe wall, its rays splashing across the pool water, adding drops of colour to the reflecting blue of the tiles lining the edges. Sitting on the large red brick patio, just steps away from the kitchen where another cup of coffee lies in wait, I take a deep breath and wonder what my still-working buddies are doing back in Canada’s winter clime.

When the mood moves me, I’ll go upstairs to the large master bedroom and get dressed (shorts and clean t-shirt) for a visit to the center of the city. A 15-minute wander down the residential hills of Los Balconies neighbourhood or a $3 taxi will get me into the midst of the action that is San Miguel de Allende. There I’ll wander the Jardin (center square), watching the families play together, sit together and laugh together. It’s the Mexican way, and it’s pleasant and warming to be part of it. As a city of 100,000 residents, approximately 12,000 of them ex-pats who come from the USA, Canada and Europe, San Miguel de Allende is filled with cultural activities from language classes, to art exhibits to original music presentations and professional theatre experiences.

After lunch at one of my favourite restaurants (there are at least 30 that I’ve come to enjoy) I’ll get the tax driver to stop at the large grocery store while I pick up some wine and groceries for dinner, which we’ll cook at the house and eat on the roof top garden as the sun sets over the Guanajato valley.

And so, each day at Casa de la puesta del sol slides from month to month, the weather not changing considerably but hovering around 70-80 degrees; the elevation (7,000 feet) cools the air while the sunshine beats down from a gorgeous blue sky day after day. From 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. shorts and tee are all you need throughout the winter months. The mornings and evenings are cool – it is a desert climate after all – and can drop down to 5-10 degrees.

Once you’ve had a few days of being a pool-side snail, you may start looking for activities, there is lots to consider. At certain times between November and April, people come from around the globe to visit the butterfly gathering area just a few hours away. Monarch butterflies migrate to the mountains of Mexico and we’re talking “millions”. In the Jardin there are “tour” operators that can tell you times and costs of trips. There are also a number of travel agents in the city.

Just up the road from our house there is a 700-acre botanical garden, filled with magnificent examples of indigenous plants – hundreds of forms of cacti – its trails great for walkers, joggers, cyclists and just plan adventurers. An afternoon trip to the hot springs on the edge of town is a great relaxer. And, of course, just about every evening there are plays, musicians, lectures, art gallery openings and a dozen other cerebral activities for your amusement.

For those new to colonial cities of central Mexico, there are a dozen wonderful towns that can be visited – a driver and car are easy to arrange or buses offer a bit more adventurous touring experience. Each place has its own uniqueness when it comes to the arts. Although known for their colourful tiles, you can’t beat Dolores Hidalgo’s well-known specialty – ice cream dealers ringing the quiet central square where they serve creamy, homemade treats each evening.

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